The top strategist Xu Shu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, why was there no biography of him in Records of the Three Kingdoms?
Why was the top strategist Xu Shu in Romance of the Three Kingdoms not recorded in the Annals of the Three Kingdoms? This question involved the difference between historical records and literary and artistic creation. In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Shu was a very outstanding strategist. He helped Liu Bei defeat Cao Cao in the competition. Although there were no biographies in the Records of the Three Kingdoms, Xu Shu was a very famous figure in history. He had once advised Shu Han and served as the general of Shu Han. In literary and artistic creation, sometimes, in order to highlight the importance of a certain character, their name or deeds might be omitted. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, although Xu Shu was not recorded in biographies, his image was very important in literary and artistic creation. His talent and resourcefulness were widely praised. Xu Shu was a very famous figure in history. He was also very important in literary and artistic creation. However, he was not recorded in the biographies of the Three Kingdoms because his popularity was relatively high or his deeds were relatively simple in historical records, so he was not included in the biographies.